Frowned Upon
by k1fs
Summary: Kushina gave birth to twins, before Madara used the moment to his advantage and freed the Kyuubi. Growing up apart, one sibling gets the love of the village while the other has to live in the shadows. Strong Naruto. Living Uchiha clan. Pairing not decided
1. Chapter 1

Have rewritten the first chapter so the ones who already knew the first version may read again please!

Summary:

Kushina gave birth to twins right before Madara used the moment to his advantage and freed the Kyuubi from its chains. Growing up apart, one sibling gets the love of the village while the other has to live in the shadows. Years later Uchiha Fugaku takes on the mantle of Hokage after Sarutobi Hiruzen is killed mysteriously. Who is going to take care of little Naruto after Sarutobi is no more and will he ever know of his sister? Who is the Jinchuuriki and who the key of all secrets? Strong Naruto. Living Uchiha clan. Pairing still unknown. No harem.

Annotation Pairing:

I'm still not sure with whom Naruto will end up at the end. Though Naruto will have multiple relationships before he will end up with his one true love. Same goes for Natsumi.

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Chapter 1: Writing History

Forgotten. Hidden from the rest of the world. Deep inside a cave lay the lifeless corpse of the man who was responsible for all the drama that happend just hours ago.

Uchiha Madara.

After Madara had lost the control of the Kyuubi no Yoko in a spectacular fight with Namikaze Minato, he had to retreat in the believe to continue his plans in a few years.

But Minato had had other plans. With the Hirashin seal still on Madara's body, Minato had followed the fleeing Uchiha and caught him off guard.

Even before Madara had realized what happend, a powered up Rasengan had pierced right through his chest and teared his heart into pieces.

The perhaps mightiest Sharingan legacy was once and for all dead.

###

„Listen to your motor-mouth mother!", gasped Minato with a last lovingly smile.

These were his last moments as man, father and loving husband. He and Kushina hung powerlessly over the ceremonial altar where both of their babys slept peacefully. A huge claw of the weakend Kyuubi had easily pierced through his and Kushina's body and stopped just inches in front of the tiny bodies of the siblings.

Heartbroken Kushina had directed her last words and advices at her childreen, especially towards her daughter Natsumi who now had a hard life as Jinchuuriki ahead, just like her dying mother once had too. Even though Kushina didn't regret anything in her life, saying goodbye was just too hard for her.

The quite slumber of the siblings was drowned by the whimper of their mother.

Kushina didn't even notice how Minato performed the Hakke no Fuin Shiki till everything around her was swallowed by darkness.

A blazing light, even brighter than the sun, shined from within the barrier and forced Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as well as the three Jounin who had followed him to raise their arms protectively over their eyes.

As quickly the light came as fast it was gone and cleared the view once again. The monstrous demon had vanished and left behind the lifeless corpses of Minato and Kushina right in front of the ceremonial altar. With them also the protective barrier was gone and didn't prevent Sarutobi to come near the supposed Jinchuuirki anymore.

„Stay where you are!", ordered Hiruzen. Like a hawk his watchfull eyes never left the altar like Kyuubi was playing a joke and could return any second.

„But Hokage-sama, what is when…!"

With his raised hand, the old Sarutobi cut the objection of the Jounin short. „I have to make sure whether Minato was successful or not."

The Jounin shared worried glances at each other. One hadn't to be a master in Fuuinjutsu to know a seal was the weakest in it's creation. Kyuubi could escape it's new prision everytime and continue his way of destruction.

Surprised Hiruzen realised two things. At first there were laying two babys in front of him, although both were undoubtably the children of Minato and Kushina. Their similarity even though their young age couldn't be denied. Still he expected only one child. The second surprise for Hiruzen was the fact that not Naruto was the Jinchuuriki, like he would have guessed thanks to the whiskers-like marks on his face, but his sister. The red glazing mark on her belly was giving him the necessary hint.

Still both siblings had a seal drawn on their bellies, but while Naruto's one resembled Natsumi's, which was glowing bright red thanks to Kyuubi who still struggled to get out, Naruto's one looked like a very complex storage seal for something the old Hokage couldn't make out. He would have to ask Jiraiya about that one for sure.

Quickly he wrapped the babys into the warm blanket which laid under their tiny bodies and hold them in his arms. At first glance the seal was stable and wouldn't let Kyuubi free in the near future.

Sorrowful he smiled down at the children of his succssesor as he slowly walked back to the nervous looking Jounin's. Undoubtfully those two wouldn't have an easy life.

„We'll going back to the village. Kyuubi doesn't pose a threat anymore.", he shared his knowledge with them.

The three Jounin took in a shaken breath. „But Hokage-sama, you can't take the Jinchuuriki to the village!", protested one Jounin while one of his friends nooded affirmative.

„What if the seal breaks? Kyuubi would kill everyone!", added another one in consideration.

The old Sarutobi casted towards the young man a calculating glance. „What is that supposed to mean?"

„What Kenzo wanted to say, Hokage-sama, we should kill the Jinchuuriki as long Kyuubi is vulnerable!"

„I'm really disappointed for that little trust not only in my judgement but also into the skills of my succssesor!", responded Hiruzen in an icy voice and didn't deem the three veterans worthy of a second glance. „We'll head back to the village and take it from there."

###

The old wooden door squeaked loudly as Sarutobi Hiruzen entered his home, looking almost ready to faint at any moment. A threatening darkness surrounded the old man till he found the light switch on the wall. His greyish colored eyes which once were filled with wisdom and a certain kind of grandfatherly affection for everyone in his beloved village, hold now nothing but weariness in them.

His head dropped slightly as he noticed that his beloved wife wouldn't be here to welcome him either. Her corpse was found in the destroyed cottage where the birth and the sealing took place. Her neck was broken due to excessive usage of force like the neck of the delivery nurse Taki and the three Anbu who were standing on guard at the entrance.

One thing was certain… Kyuubi didn't killed those five. Someone had known of the birth and used his chance to weaken the seal most likely. There was always a huge risk when a Jinchuuriki woman was pregnant and about to give birth to new life. Still… How could Kyuubi escape when Minato was there to observe the seal himself? How could Kyuubi suddenly appear in the midst of Konoha? And most importantly who had disturbed the birth?

There were many question Hiruzen wanted an answer for, but not tonight after he had failed Minato and Kushina. He had failed to protect not only Konoha but also Minato's own flesh and blood against the desire of revenge by the villagers. He knew they were loyal and hard working people. Many had to endure losses in the past. Be it by war or an economic crisis, but the village had never to suffer like in this night. The people were afraid. Terribly afraid. Kyuubi spreaded more fear in one night than Iwagakure in the whole war! Many escaped death just by sheer luck but the majority wasn't that lucky. Fear and the loss of precious people was an extremly dangerous and explosive mixture. Humans tended to do stupid and inhuman things when they were afraid, seeing their existence was threatened.

He knew he wouldn't come around to confess the villagers the existence of a Jinchuuriki. Too many people died that fateful night, he couldn't sweep the matter under the carpet like it was done by Mito and Kushina. Somebody would find out, the information would undoubtedly make it's round in Konoha. A scary thought…

The council of Konoha wanted the death of little Naruto after he told them where Kyuubi got sealed. Had he not twisted the truth, little Natsumi would have faced the same wraith, but he and Jiraiya had lied about the seal on her belly and hide it under a strong, almost unbreakable Genjutsu invented by Senju Tsunade herself which she used to hide her real age.

With the help of Shikaku and some other honorable Shinobi they could prevent the gruesome death sentence but at a high prize nonetheless. Both siblings would never know of each other. To save Naruto's life, Hiruzen had to accept that Natsumi was the sole heir of Minato and Kushina and Naruto would be nothing but an orphan. He would become the village pariah and Natsumi the village little princess.

All he had wanted was to save Natsumi of a fate of hatred, rape and worse. He never suspected the council would going as far as to demand the death of the Jinchuuriki and nearly sentenced Naruto himself to death due to his lie.

At least he got the law down to prevent the spreading of little Naruto's fate. The young generation hopefully will not contemn the boy like almost all of their parents do. In a wicked way Naruto was truly holding the Kyuubi at bay, but not in the way he had told them all. Naruto was literally the key to the village safety.

###

To be continued…

The next chapter will be much bigger and is already finish. Please don't hold back what you think of my fanfiction. You can ask question but most will probably answered in the second chapter. One last advise which goes for reading the fiction:

Don't assume anything and look underneath the underneath. There will be quite some surprises.

Don't forget to comment!


	2. Chapter 2

One week passed and here I'am with the new chapter!

Information: I will try to upload new chapters every week but don't pin me on it! I write roughly 1000 words per day so if the chapters get bigger it will take longer to finish one, sadly. :D ... I'm behind my schedule though since Diablo3 just came out and burned a lot of my free time so the next 2 chapters might take a little longer to come out. Don't worry they will definitely come soon!

I want to thank you all who took the time and read my story and especially to those who took the time to review.

Too answer some of your questions without telling the whole story. Naruto will undergo different stages in the will be ups and downs, thats what drama stands for. He will hate and he will love and sometime both at the same time. This chapter and the next will give you a hint of what Naruto's emotions are like at the moment, though like i mentioned already they will change at some point and change back and and and :D

Feel free to ask question just don't aspect answers that will reveal something important. I will try to answer as best as my abillity allows!

Last but not least: For those buggering me about the pairing: I'am not sure if i write a dramatic end or happy end... most likely i will write both and post them both at the end but it may change.

Have fun with:

* * *

Chapter 2: Academic Days

The young Uchiha Itachi stood shamefully and alone in the middle of the cemetery with a bouquet of white lilies in his shaking hands. His clothes were soaked by the heavy rain and he was surrounded by graves and impressive memorial stones which were built to honor the fallen hero's of Konoha. The likes of Senju Hashirama and his brother Tobirama laid to rest here and also Namikaze Minato got his well deserved place for protecting the village with his life.

However the boy wasn't mourning for those heroes but for an other legend who was only recently buried here. The memorial stone in front of him honored the late Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was murdered by an assasin just a week ago.

The corpse of the old man was found in an alley by a housewife who wanted to bring out the trash. If the investigation was any indication Sarutobi was lured into the alley and got stabbed right through his chest from behind. There weren't found any traces of a fight or something like that. Apparently Hiruzen knew his murderer and was taken by surprise…

With the Hokage gone, the fire Daimyo and the village council had to chose a succsessor. At first it looked like Shimura Danzou would finally reach his goal but at the end Uchiha Fugaku was declaired the new Godaime Hokage for being much younger, his good position in the village and his skills as Shinobi.

Uchiha Itachi wasn't known for showing emotion very often but this time he couldn't hold back his tears as he sunk to his knees. „I wish there would have been another way!", he said with a shaky voice. „You said I should listen to my heart and at first I thought I had made the right decision but why does my heart keep telling me I have made a mistake?"

His eyes clamped together in an attempt to stop his crying while he balled his hands angry into fists and started hitting the ground like he was trying to force an answer from the cold dirt beneath his feet. The bouquet of flowers Itachi brought along laid forgotten in the mud and slowly was washed away by the rain.

„Please tell me? My father isn't made to be a Hokage! He doesn't care for things like peace like you did.", begged Itachi more and more realizing the mistake he had done. „What am I supposed to do now?", he whispered quietly to himself.

His eyes slowly widen as he remembered what the Sandaime told him right before he took his last breath. He still had to honor the promise he had made…

Standing up Itachi smiled weakly to himself. Maybe he still could turn the things for the better…

Uzumaki Naruto, a slip of a boy at the age of almost six years, had the problem that he wasn't liked that much in the village. Because of that it wasn't very surprising that no one offered a word of comfort to the boy as the news of Sarutobi Hiruzen sudden death reached him.

Lonely Naruto lay in his bed and wept bitterly the whole day. He wouldn't bother someone anyway since the orphanage, for reasons the boy didn't know, gave him a sparsely furnished room for him alone.

The Hokage was the closest Naruto could have called family. Every now and then the old man would visit Naruto in the orphanage and play with him. Just like a grandfather would do. Other children didn't play with him and adults avoided him like a plague. Not interested in the slightest they only gave him attention when something bad happened and he was blamed.

A ray of narrowed light was shining from outside through the closed window and hit the picture frame on his little bedside cabinet. Naruto stared on the picture with his tear-stained face for the person he missed the most was pictured there.

Hiruzen and Naruto sat in Ichiraku's Ramen which was running by Teuchi and his twelve years old daughter Ayame. That happend just a few weeks ago…

The creaking sound of the floorboards banished all sad thoughts of the old man and the picture which were circling around Naruto's mind.

„Are you Uzumaki Naruto?", asked an older looking boy who couldn't be older than fifteen.

Rubbing his burning eyes, Naruto nodded unsure not knowing the new face. „Who are you?", trembled his childish voice.

There wasn't an answer. Instead the newcomer looked around the tiny room and sighed faintly. „My name is Uchiha Itachi and I promised to take care of you."

Like always in the midsummer, in the land of fire, the sun was ruthlessly shining down on earth, increasing the temperature to almost unbearable levels. Therefore it wasn't that surprising to find a bunch of children sitting on a wooden fence in the shadow of the Shinobi academy.

One was a boy with hair as dark as night and eyes of the colour of coal, radiating an aura of coolness. He wore white shorts and a darkblue shirt with the Uchiha emblem sticked on its back. His name was Uchiha Sasuke.

Beside him, swinging his legs boredly back and forth and his arms crossed behind his head, sat another boy. He was a little taller then Sasuke but the most weird things about him were his eyes slitted like those of a predator and the triangle marks on his cheeks. He was Inuzuka Kiba.

A little further away sat a girl smaller and skinnier than both her companions. She had long blood-red hair and eyes of the clearest sky. She was known as Namikaze Natsumi and she was destined to step into her father's shoes and become Hokage one day, at the moment though she tried to get a nasty and sticky bubblegum out of her beloved hair which Kiba dropped there… accidently.

„I don't understand what they are doing here!", said a scowling Sasuke, watching children being divided into new classes by Chuunin. „Can't they just leave us alone?"

„Kumogakure is on the march.", Kiba yawned and looked mildly interested to the newlings. „My mother said there might be war."

„And?", Sasuke didn't look convinced. „They are some clanless loser, how the hell are they gonna be of any help?"

„If we will have war against Kumo, wouldn't it be better to have more people on our side?", Natsumi pointed out, still fiddling in her hair to get rid of the sticky gum in her hair.

„Like that would made any difference.", countered Sasuke. „They don't have any talents and most likely will be in the way of us getting stronger!"

The Godaime Hokage, Sasuke's own father, said this more frequently and Natsumi guessed Sasuke was only babbling what he always got to hear at home. The situation had to be grim if the Hokage was acting against his own principles and believes though.

But Kumo didn't let Konoha any choice. Likewise the hidden village high in the plains of Kaminari no Kuni didn't get any choice by Konoha. Everything started with a friendly delegation from Kumo who visited Konoha for a peace negotiation. Needless to say nobody anticipated at the time that everything was feigned to get a hold on a certain Kekkei Genkei.

The Byakugan.

Hyuuga Hiashi caught a Kumo'nin with his pants down as he tried to kidnap his firstborn daughter Hinata. The kidnapping attempt failed tragically. While Hinata got rescued without a scratch on her skin, the Jounin of Kumo didn't had that much luck and got killed by Hiashi's own hands. The Raikage naturally washed his hands in innocence and demanded compensation for the murder of one of his Shinobi.

The newly elected Godaime Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku had to demonstrate his power and didn't yield to the demands of Kumo even though Kumo threatened with war.

All this has happened over two years ago…

Curiously Natsumi looked over the new kids who were roughly her age. As much as she knew, the new kids would be trained by Chuunin to catch up the three years backlog. After that they would get divided one by one into the already existing classes. Natsumi and her friends started at the Shinobi academy at the age of six.

„Where are their parents?", wondered Natsumi as she only saw children but no adults wishing their kids luck.

A hand was encouraging laid on her shoulder. „There are none. Most of them lost their parents at the night Kyuubi attacked, just like you."

Cheerfully Natsumi looked up at the face of her godfather who had a melancholy expression shown in his eyes. „Jiraiya-sensei!"

„Like I said… Can't they let us alone?", sulked Sasuke annoyed and crossed his arms.

Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at the childish behaviour. „It's not that easy, Sasuke.", pointed the Sannin out. „Most of them will never achieve the talent you and Natsumi possesses but sometimes the guts are more important than the biggest talent."

Sasuke snorted scornfully like Jiraiya had done a capital crime.

„That aside…", a dramatic pause from Jiraiya followed. „Some of these girls could grow into some pretty Kunoichi's!", he joked.

All three students rolled with their eyes.

„What is going to happen with them?", asked Kiba interested.

„Oh?" Natsumi had managed to get rid of the annoying bubblegum in her hair and grinned triumphal while Jiraiya continued. „They will be tested on their skills and knowledge and afterwards separated into classes. Who knows? Maybe some of them are going to be in your class too."

Once again the Uchiha heir scornfully snorted. In the meanwhile Natsumi was busy mustering the new comrades. As usually there were more boys then girls. Many of them looked excited and some fearfully but all were chatting eagerly with each other. Maybe amongst those chattering kids was someone who could relate to the pain she felt in her heart and could compete with her and Sasuke?

Her critical glance slowly wandered over the bunch of children and landed on a boy who sat further away from the rest on a tree stumb and who catched Jiraiya's attention as well.

He sat there and looking mildly interested at the trees, the old academy building and the many Chuunin who tramped through the lines of the new students.

His golden hair seemed to be brighter then the sun itself, a characteristic trait which let him stood out from the rest. Judging on the bright orange t-shirt the boy was wearing, he loved the color orange as well. More Natsumi couldn't make out, she simply was too far away.

„Are you coming, Natsumi-chan? The school is going to start in a few minutes.", called Jiraiya towards her.

Breaking out of her thoughts and jumping down the fence, Natsumi ran towards her friends. „Sorry!", she yelled and looked shortly back to the boy with the bright blonde hair.

„You didn't check out one of these losers, did you?", asked Sasuke critically.

„Of cource not!", protested Natsumi and blushed slightly.

Sasuke began to grin mischievous. „Who would have thought you aquire a liking for loser!"

„Sasuke!", protested the Namikaze again.

The grin of the Uchiha boy seemed to widen even further but before he could open his mouth again the authoritarian voice of Jiraiya cut him off. „That's enough, Sasuke."

The grin vanished immediately and was replaced by his disinterested look again. „And Natsumi…", Jiraiya called her seriously. „Nothing of that till you are eighteen!", he warned.

„But…"

„Eighteen!"

Against the fears of young Uchiha Sasuke the academy didn't change that much. Sure… In the short breaks the corridors were getting more filled. Here and there new faces and groups appeared. For the most part all students integrated themselfs but were so much behind in respect of skill and knowledge that they had to be put in special classes.

Many times the young Namikaze looked out for the blonde haired boy but fate didn't seem to be on her side and she had to wait several months before she saw him again.

It happened as she proudly walked out of the academy with a sheet of paper clenched in her tiny fist. A test with a fat red 'S' at the top corner of the paper, the best possible mark. She couldn't wait to show Jiraiya-sensei her achievement and walked towards the only place she would most likely encounter him. The hot springs for women…

The fastest way lead her through Konoha's market district and as usual her stomach growled as she walked by Yoshi's pastry shop. Those pretzel sticks were delicious but sadly Natsumi didn't carry any money with her. Anyways… Her attention switched from her stomach to the childlike laughing and yelling she heard nearby.

„Give that back, dattebayo!"

„Hee? You are only allowed to wear that if you are a real Shinobi! In your case… never."

„I said give it back!"

„What else? Are you gonna cry for mommy?"

There was a short silence. „I will tell Nii-san!", responded the victim threatening.

Apparently the victem hadn't a better threat up his mind

„Hahahah… And you want to be a Shinobi? Don't make me laugh. Do you see how my knees are shaking? Here catch!"

„…!"

Full of curiosity as Natsumi was since she was little, she was looking for the source of the noises and came to a stop at a side road near her favorite pastry shop. Her eyes widened as she recognized the blonde-haired boy from back then.

He was surrounded of a slightly older group of boys. They laughed at him and threw a metallic object back and forth at each other. While they made fun of him, he only could stand there with his lowered head and do nothing. His hands were balled into fists, strong enough for his knuckles to get white.

„Hahahaha! Did you really believe you would get that back that easily?", laughed out another guy.

Before Natsumi could take heart and interfere, those boys seemed to lose the interest themselfs.

Obviously because their victem didn't fight back in the slightest and received the humiliation keeping silent.

A last time they grinned challenging at the blond-haired boy and afterwards threw the Hitai-Ite on the roof of a nearby clothing store for women.

„Here… Go and get it if it means so much to you!", the leader of the boys laughed smugly and savored the wrecking expression on the Uzumaki's face as his most precious possession apparently landed out of his reach.

Only the washed out black ribbon was visible over the rainwater gutter. While the children continued to amuse themselfs by the misfortune of the boy, Natsumi folded her test and put it in one of her pockets as she walked towards the rain water downpipe of the store his Hitai-Ite had landed on.

With a little help of Chakra in her hands and feets the girls got the needed strength and climbed up the pipe till she reached the roof. Arriving at the top Natsumi grabbed the black ribbon and let herself gently sliding down the pipe again.

The moment she had the little piece of fabric in her hands, the whole alley became silent. She walked over to the boy and faced him for the first time.

His appearance couldn't compare to the first time she saw him. His hair was more spiky and made a scruffy impression. Nevertheless his bright blonde hair was still fascinating her. Also his bright orange t-shirt had vanished and made place for a light grey one with the leaf symbol at the front.

But his eyes stood out the most, they were as wonderful blue and clear as her own. He also had those weird whisker like marks on his cheeks, back then Natsumi wasn't able to see both characteristics of his face as she simply had been too far away.

However these pretty eyes narrowed in mistrust as she slowly approached him. Sie smiled a little, hoping to show him she meant no harm. Finally facing him she hold the black ribbon with the Hitai-Ite attached to it out to him.

He didn't show any will to actually grab it.

Natsumi took another step and grabbed his hand, placing the Hitai-Ite in it. His sky blue eyes continued to stare at her and his cheeks began to blush sligthly which made Natsumi smiling more. Certainly he was very grateful and only didn't know how to express it…

At least Natsumi thought that before he pushed her. Without warning. Very hard on the ground.

As Natsumi was surprised laying on the ground, Naruto turned around fiercely to face the bullys who had stolen his forhead-protectorin the first place. „I'm Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha and one day I will be the best Shinobi the village has ever seen, dattebayo!", he yelled loudly, sounding very convinced of himself before shoving his way out the people surrounding him just to vanish behind the next corner.

At the meanwhile Natsumi was still laying on the ground and stared absentmindedly at the sky. Uzumaki Naruto… What a terrible boy…

The group of bullies gathered around the young girl and looked down at her with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Ehhh, you are such a spoiler, Namikaze-chan…!", the biggest one, obviously the leader, complained and helped her back on her feet.

She obtained a certain amount of fame thanks to her father, that's why people had it hard not to like her, even if she did stupid things here and there just like moments ago… Not even the worst sort of bully had the heart or perhaps the guts to tease her, except Sasuke and Kiba maybe.

The group eventually disbanded and Natsumi was alone again, rubbing her sore back. That boy, Uzumaki Naruto, he had as much strengh as Sasuke and that wasn't something to laugh at. Only the chubby Akimichi, who was one of her friends too, had more raw power than the Uchiha. If she had to met Naruto again in a few days, it would be much too soon. That much was Natsumi certain of…

Cause all of the hectic, Natsumi almost forgot why she was here in the first place. She was looking for her godfather and unsurprisingly continued her way. As Natsumi suspected, she met the Sannin at the hot springs.

„What did you expected?", Jiraiya commented her test about Chakra theory which Natsumi showed him proudly. „You definitely are coming after your father."

She smiled satisfied and told him what happend to her on her search for his perverted ass. How she heard weird noises and got curious. When she helped the poor boy and how he repaid her kindness.

„Who would have thought? The cute princess of Konoha found someone who doesn't like her.", the old Sannin chuckled.

Slightly embarrassed, with a cute blush on her cheeks, the redhead pouted childish. „I don't understand him, Jiriaya-sensei.", she complained. „I just wanted to help him, nothing more…"

„Boys…", Jiraiya sighed. „In his age they just can't appreciate the female gender like myself!", he elucidated in a dramatic voice.

„Pervert!" the little girl huffed and rolled with her eyes.

She began to pout as her godfather laughed heartily. „Why don't you show me that Jutsu you are currently working on, Natsumi-chan?"

Changing the subject the young Namikaze gladly complied his request and went into position. Jiraiya observed her movements exactly but didn't offer her his full attention, because something else was haunting his old mind. _I hope Naruto-kun didn't find out. This could lead to a disaster no one has control over. Just maybe I should keep track of situation for awhile. _

Sadly the Sannin couldn't divine that he was so right but at the same time so wrong.

„You don't even look!", yelled Natsumi in her high melodic voice and regained the attention of the hermit again.

„Ehh, of cource, of cource… Now show me that awesome Jutsu!"

In the aftermath Natsumi had to admit to herself that she saw the blonde-haired troublemaker more often as she thought in the first place. Instead of looking out for a boy with a obviously questionable sense of fashion, all she had to do was to look out for male wallflower. His appearance didn't awake the impression that somebody took care of the boy at all. Now since she knew what to look out for, she saw Naruto everywhere.

Since he was pushed off into the speical classes like all orphans, she encountered him only during the breaks at the crowded schoolyard. He hadn't any friends to hang around and always seemed to sulk alone at the swing where only a few other children played.

Nobody made the effort to approach him, not even the teachers. The reason for that probably was Naruto himself, who responded every curious glimpse with his own grim stare till he was ignored again. His clothes appeared, contrary to the first time Natsumi saw him, more and more neglected as the days goes on. Some children made even jokes about how he probably slept in his clothes.

This joke ought to be true as Natsumi should learn later on.

She felt uncomfortable by the thought that somebody was so alone and tried in the sense of good will to give him a chance. Exactly two times Natsumi tried to approach Naruto.

Once she offered him to push him on the swing. He stared at her blankly and just left her, vanishing without a trace into the academy.

The other time she sat herself beside him during the lunch and wanted to know if his bowl of Ramen was tasting good. Obiviously not… Without making a comment he emptied out the content of the bowl right over her head and walked away not caring the slightest. Lucky for Natsumi the broth and the noodles weren't that hot anymore.

At this moment Natsumi never tried again to approach Naruto. There was a good reason why the boy had no friends and her beautiful hair had to suffer enough in the past by far as to get more punishment by the blonde-haired boy. Eventually after some time she lost the interest on him and over the following months he slowly faded from her memory.

Her days were filled with training and learning in the academy and more practical exercices with Jiraiya and and and… The young Natsumi dedicated almost all of her freetime to the goal of someday surpassing her father and becoming the first female Hokage. The rest of the little freetime she spend with her friends in the park or in the academy.

The time flew by like her memory of Naruto and the young Namikaze faced her last year in the academy. Only one year remained till her friends and herself would get seperated in operating Genin teams and face all kind of exciting and adventurous missions. The conflicts with Kumogakure weren't settle down in all honesty. On the contrary… The situation seemed more and more threatening even though the populace never really noticed, but Jiraiya provided his inquisitive little student always with adventurous and dangerous storys of the skirmish at the borders of Hi no Kuni in which the Sannin participated himself.

Also Natsumi got confronted again with the 'special classes' in the last year. It happened more frequently that students of said classes got put into her graduation class. The empty seats in her class were filled almost weekly. Whether they really knew the important stuff or the conflict with Kumo demanded for fresh meat to put it mildly, Natsumi couldn't really estimate.

As a matter of fact the boy who called himself Naruto was one of the last to get put in her class, sitting in the last row as consequence. Everytime Natsumi risked a peek, she always saw the same grim and indifferent look on the face of the Uzumaki.

Whenever she had the pleasure to get a look at his lesson notes, Natsumi could only recognize the crinkled paper with a more or less unflattering handwritting and many absurd paintings, which served less as help and more to his combat against the boredom.

Whenever Naruto got called up for a question he kept his silence or in rare occasions he gave a false answer which not uncommonly lead to cackling laughter in the whole class.

Konoha always paid attention on teamwork and an almost family like fellowship. Working in groups wasn't quit rare on the curriculum and old seasoned students often were cobbled together with the newcomer in a group of two to establish new bonds.

More than once Natsumi nabbed Naruto as her partner and tried out of necessity to communicate. At least somehow… Whether he had a generally distaste for leaning something new or he just couldn't stand her, Natsumi didn't know, but she rather could try talking to a wall than to the stubborn Uzumaki.

„... so if 5x-10 equal 10, than x has to be 4, do you see?", Natsumi calculated and showed him the solution on her paper.

Nevertheless the blonde managed to ignore her very presence. His head lay bored on his elbows on the table and his look was directed to the opposite direction right through the window.

She frowned. „It isn't so hard. You just have to add these 10 to the other 10 and then divide by 5 to get the value of x, here look!" Natsumi tried to shove her math exercise book right under his nose, so he had to take a glance at it, but he just slid a few inches away.

„Come on, you do understand this, do you?", she asked slightly annoyed at his lack of interest.

„No, I don't." , Naruto replied bluntly.

Again Natsumi couldn't help but frown at him. „But this is really important!"

„No, it isn't!", the sudden harsh voice of the Uzumaki let her briefly flinch.

His head had risen as fast as a snake and his icy blue eyes were staring at her coldly. „If you hide yourself, cause some jerk is trying to hurt you, than you don't ponder about what 'x' might equal!"

Shocked over his sudden emotional outburst, Natsumi looked a little flabbergasted and Naruto returned to his previous position with his head on his elbows, ignoring the Namikaze and the class that surrounded him. Natsumi decided to never distrub Naruto ever again and filled all questions silently for herself.

Still the redhead asked herself if his distaste against the academy wasn't more reasonable if not for the equal bad results he had shown during the practical exercises. The only thing Naruto didn't seem to have any problems with were the Ninjutsu exercices. During the Taijutsu lessons he often got lectured by the teacher for his bad stances and collected bad marks like other people collected postage stamps.

'It wasn't teached me like that.' was his usual excuse. Natsumi started to believe, where and whomsoever he leaned something from, the one surely teached him wrongly and not the academy. At least it would explain his ambiguous performances.

Even the last year flew by like the rest of them had and the results of graduation exams were final. Like foreseen Natsumi passed with flying colors, nearly as good as Sasuke who passed insignificantly better at Taijutsu and Ninjutsu due to his physically advantages for being born a boy and because Natsumi for some reason had the problem to perform a perfect Bunshin no Jutsu for awhile. To her fortune Jiraiya of the Sannin found out she had unbelievably huge Chakra reserves and she only lacked the control to do so yet. As replacement Jiraiya taught her the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

Her result was the best in the history of all previous Kunoichi of Konoha, even better than Senju Tsunade's herself.

The only one who didn't graduate was the worst student of the class… Uzumaki Naruto…

„Something isn't right with that moron.", Kiba said dryly. „Maybe it's better he didn't pass."

Like most students after the announcement of the results they stood outside on the school yard, accompanied by their Chuunin Instructors and the proud parents who were embracing their children in joy and proudfully congratulating them.

Sasuke's own father, the Godaime Hokage, stood a little apart from Natsumi with some of his advisors and Jiraiya. Even though she wished she could spend this moment of joy with her dead parents, Natsumi was contented with the presence of her close friends and of her godfather Jiraiya. Still… As her sky-blue eyes roamed through the crowd and saw in the shadow of the mighty trees Naruto siiting lonely and gloomy on the swing, a part of her joy vanished.

He hadn't pass, but even if he had, nobody would have been there to care and celebrate with him. Nobody cared, after all Naruto had worked hard so nobody liked him. It was easy to understand Kiba's point of view, but still… As she saw Naruto sitting by just himself, with the old Hitai-Ite clenched inside his hands, she couldn't help herself but feel pity for him. It wasn't his fault to be born without any talents, just like Natsumi didn't earn the praise for being a prodigy as her father was.

„Let him be, Kiba!", scolded Natsumi. „How would you feel if somebody would talk about you like that? Your results weren't the best either."

Kiba gasped scornfully. „That so? Why don't you go over to him and ask him to marry you since you love him so much!"

Her friends laughed and snickered, even Sasuke couldn't hide his smirk. She used the opportunity to gain distance and found protection in the shadow of Jiriaya which soon should turn out to be a mistake.

He intuitively felt her presence, laid his arm arround her shoulder and shoved her out of his shadow and into the foreground. „Ah, here Hokage-sama, my beloved little student I have talked so much about. Go on, say hello, Natsumi-chan."

„Ehh, good day, Hokage-sama.", Natsumi replied stiffly as her still young eyes looked up to the man before her. She knew this man certainly from before, after all this one was the leader of the village and at the same time the father of Sasuke.

However nobody else of the present adults she recognised, except a black-haired beauty who smiled tender down at her.

„Hello, Natsumi-chan.", she greeted her. „Congratulations to your results. Your mother and father would be proud."

Natsumi smiled shyly back. „Thank you, Mikoto-sama!"

Uchiha Mikoto was the friendly soul of the Uchiha clan and the mother of two prodigies, Itachi and Sasuke, which was quite rare. Though Natsumi never really saw Itachi since he often worked as Anbu and rarely was at home when Natsumi had visited to play with Sasuke as children. The Uchiha woman was also the friend of her deceased mother, Natsumi reflected sadly.

„An extraordinary result…", even Fugaku praised, as he mustered the girl with darkish looking eyes from head till toe. „There are even rumors that you are better as my son, Sasuke, even though his results were a bit better."

Embarrassed she blushed in the face. „Sorry, Hokage-sama."

The adults laughed, obviously amused by her cute modesty, even Fugaku craked a smile at the little girl. „I think we can expect great things from you in the future. Your parents would be truly very proud of you."

The laughing slowly died out and even the smile vanished as fast as it came as the usual cold eyes of the Hokage saw a boy sitting mournfully on the swing. „What a shame not everyone passed. We could have used his help in the future.", the Uchiha mumbled quietly to himself but Natsumi still heard the last part.

His help? Surely the Hokage meant the help of all students who had graduated today, Natsumi thought, but didn't voice her mind. She was still young and couldn't read the expression on his face. He looked kinda sad, maybe he knew Naruto? Well probably not, but he definitely looked sad as he noticed Naruto didn't passed.

Fugaku frowned slightly as he watched Naruto from far away. He had tolerated Itachi's request to take care of the boy. At first he wasn't that happy about Itachi's sudden interest in the boy but the thought to have the power of the Kyuubi at his purposal changed his mind. He hoped Itachi would make him the Uchiha's loyal weapon over time… A dull weapon as it seemed. Still the Nine-Tails made Naruto very valuable.

„Maybe somebody could teach him during the holidays?", Jiraiya suddenly suggested. „He could participate at the catch-up exam just after the holidays. Maybe one of his friends?"

„Naruto doesn't have any friends.", Natsumi said surprised to her godfather.

„A little social awkward this one, eh?", Jiraiya replied without a care and smiled down at Natsumi. „Though I heard he opened up to little Natsumi here. She is a nice girl… very patiently. A born teach one might say."

All color vanished from her face as she heard Jiraiya's words. What the hell did he wanted to say exactly? Naruto opened up to her like a venus trap opened up for some small insect to devour.

Fugaku didn't look very pleased with Jiraiya's suggestion. Both stared at each other knowing exactly why Jiraiya had recommended Natsumi and not some Chunnin or Jounin. He wanted them to bond with each other, knowing they were siblings in truth. Fugaku couldn't let this happen, even if she would make Naruto stronger. The threat of them finding out was much too strong and the consequences much worse.

„That's a wonderful idea, Jiraiya-sama!", Uchiha Mikoto smiled and looked even brighter at Natsumi. „The best student helps the worst.. What do you think, Fugaku-kun?"

The Uchiha matriarch knew of their bond as well and couldn't let slip the chance Jiraiya had given her to actually help the outcast child of her once best friend.

„Hn.", Fugaku grunted. He didn't want to but they didn't let him any logical choice to refuse the proposal. „She may teach and help him but only for the next few weeks. I don't want to stun her growth either."

As the Hokage and his followers walked away, to meet with more important people and of cource to congratulate Sasuke himself, the young Namikaze was still kinda flabbergasted what happend without her even able to voice her protest.

„That is your chance, Natsumi.", Jiraiya told her as he bend over to face her. „If you take this challenge and do good, you will be one step closer of becoming Hokage someday."

Natsumi knew one thing… She was screwed!

To be continued…

Please review as always. :)


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